


Call of Duty

by APendingThought



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fever, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Lance is a Good Parent, Sick Character, Sickfic, Spanish Lance (Voltron), baby!keith, big brother lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-21 17:34:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8254475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APendingThought/pseuds/APendingThought
Summary: Lance thought he could handle most things when it came to Keith. He was not prepared for an infant Keith with an ear infection, however.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MilkTeaMiku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkTeaMiku/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Catch Me If You Can](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7592218) by [MilkTeaMiku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkTeaMiku/pseuds/MilkTeaMiku). 



Lance was no stranger to adversity. Being the eldest brother born to a wave of siblings had given him the skills, attitude, patience and mindset to deal with the fussiest of infants. He was a known pout reader, toddler whisperer, conjurer and collaborator with the infant mind.

Lance had to admit a renewed fondness for the red paladin in his new infantile casing. He had all the tenacity and stubborn clinginess of his former self but now whenever he got too mouthy, Lance could simply pick him up, put him on his knee and bounce him until he forgot whatever it was he was sulking about. Smiles were easier to coax out of Keith now and he had to admit, he liked that. Adult Keith took hours--even days-- to resolve.

One of Keith’s favored infant tactics, he’d learned, was boycotting.

He boycotted all blankets though his little body shook and shivered with cold.

He boycotted water, milk and even juice with the forceful bat of a tiny fist.

He only vocally boycotted being held by the wrong person at the wrong time, making sounds loud enough to shatter space dust if Pidge or Hunk made the mistake of holding him while Lance took a bathroom break. Lance had taken to scheduling his own self-care between Keith’s naps. He was a clingy little bugger. If Shiro was not too busy, he might hold Keith and walk him up and down the main deck of the castle, pointing out stars and humming to soothe Keith into a fitful nap. That was moderately effective in keeping the baby’s temper at bay while Lance caught a few hours sleep or tried to wash, clothe and feed himself.

Lance knew these behaviors were communication but with his siblings there was always a go-to solution, a predictable outcome. Keith promised none of these.

It began in the morning. Mornings were always toughest on Keith.

Much like his adult form, infant Keith’s routine was paramount to maintaining peace throughout the day. In the morning he was washed and fed. Then Lance might take him back to his room to cuddle or read a book to him. Keith was at his most energetic after breakfast and seemed to enjoy playtime, lying in his crib and staring at his rattle for a few hours.  
Normally, Lance could expect to be woken by Keith’s shouts or cries to be picked up but this morning Lance’s alarm went off to Keith still fast asleep in his crib, buried under his favorite red blanket. 

“Sleeping in today, bud?” Lance yawned, tickling Keith’s tummy until he stirred, rubbing over and over at his eyes. Keith whined and huffed, rolling his pudgy little body over to avoid Lance’s gentle fingers on his belly.

“Ready to hit the shower?”

Lance was grateful for the fact that Keith seemed too groggy to protest much when he lifted him out of the crib and carried him to the bathroom to wash. Laying him on a towel spread on the floor, Lance unclothed, picked him back up and stepped into the shower. Kill two birds with one stone, Lance always prescribed to that wisdom. Lance fondly remembered his old task at home of cleaning the babies in the morning when he took his own shower. The little ones enjoyed their quiet splash games and the way Lance would curl soap in their hair to make it stand up in amusing ways. Horns, spikes, full on mohwak. He’d tried the soap thing with Keith but he didn’t seem to understand the purpose of it, didn’t even crack a smile. Keith stared into space and ignored the bubbles while Lance lathered and shampooed his long, soft hair. Lance sat him quietly in a pile of suds while he rinsed and washed his own hair. Keith only made sounds when he got tired of sitting in soap (all of which were very unimpressive) and demanded to be rinsed and toweled off by whining and fussing.

The weirdness had only just begun. 

Keith wriggled and fussed on the changing table so much that Lance had to keep one hand firmly placed on his belly while the other hand performed the act of changing him. Lance couldn’t be done fast enough, wrestling Keith’s flailing chubby arms through the sleeves of his powder blue T-shirt and just forsaking his pants for a diaper. Pants held less priority.

Keith tugged again and again at his ear, babbling quietly to himself as Lance dressed, only brightening a little when Lance scooped him up against his shoulder to bring him downstairs for breakfast.

Hunk was already at work in the kitchen, monitoring two steaming pots on the heatpads and carefully timing what smelled like homemade bread in the oven. Lance’s stomach growled as he placed Keith in his Altean answer to an infant seat, strapping him in so his fidgeting wouldn’t accidentally tip him over. Normally Keith would be active and noisy for food by now which was why Hunk poked his head out of the kitchen to investigate.

“You here already? I thought he’d be on the warpath.”

“Guess he’s in chill mode today.” Lance shrugged, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Quiet babies were a red flag. Hunk walked out of the kitchen with a small bowl of warmed mush mixed with milk and alien honey.

“Here. I made his first. This oughta cheer Moody McMooderson up.” Hunk promised.

“Thanks.” Lance took the bowl and stirred the boiled grain slowly with a spoon. It was lukewarm and the right temperature to start feeding Keith right away. Keith looked at the spoon with bored eyes and turned his face away. Lance raised his eyebrows in concern.

“Wow, not even a mouthful? You really are off today, kiddo!” He shrugged, popping the refused cereal into his own mouth. It was faintly sweet and soft with a creamy texture, perfect for even a fussy infant like Keith. Under normal conditions, watching someone else consume food meant for him would start Keith into a full on tantrum but Keith was looking more sleepy than enraged. 

Lance put the spoon and bowl down and took a good look at the baby.

Keith’s dribble was shining on his chin, one chubby hand tugging fretfully at his earlobe. He rubbed at his eye again and made a discontented grunt. Experimentally, Lance held another spoonful of mush under his nose but this time Keith angrily smacked it away. Now he began to whine, his big dark eyes shining with tears. The sinking feeling in Lance's gut grew.

“What’s up with him?” Pidge asked, wiping sleepy eyes from behind her glasses. Lance had been so focused on trying to get breakfast into Keith that he hadn’t noticed the others entering the commissary. Keith’s face scrunched up and two blotches of red stood out angrily on his cheeks. He slammed both small fists down on his tray and shrieked. 

Hunk looked forlornly at the ignored bowl of cereal. “Aw, don’t tell me he didn’t like it.”

“He wouldn’t eat.” Lance said, picking Keith up again and rocking him gently against his shoulder. 

“ _Que paso, chacho_?” Keith’s whimpers quickly escalated into full on howls even as Lance tried to soothe him. Allura moved quietly to pick up a small water packet with a straw and offered it to Lance. 

“See if he wants any.” She said. It turned out Keith did, sucking at the cold water momentarily before coughing some up and dribbling the majority down the back of Lance’s shirt. He continued sniffling and hiccuping, snot running in a clear stream down his nose.

“Hey, hey little man. You need a wipe.” Hunk raced over with a clean towel to dab gently at Keith’s sweaty face. “Lance? Does this kid feel crazy warm to you?”

Lance shifted Keith’s weight onto his hip so he could get a better look. Pressing his lips to Keith’s damp forehead he confirmed the steady knot in his gut that had begun that morning. 

“Definitely running a temp.” He sighed. “Princess, can you take him down to be scanned? He was pulling at his ear earlier, my guess is an ear infection.”

“This is not good." Allura murmured. "A compromised immune system may interfere with Keith’s regeneration back to stasis. I’ll have Coran run a full scan on him.” The princess opened her arms but the baby clung tightly to Lance, crying louder.

“Ok, I get it Mr. Sicky. I’m your prisoner.” Lance admitted, patting him on the back.

Keith sniffled into Lance’s neck the entire trip down to the infirmary, rubbing at his ear. Lance had seen this before. A classic ear infection. Babies seemed to get them just by looking at eachother the wrong way. Spiking fevers that lasted all night. Screaming in pain. Refusing sleep, food or drink for days. He had to feel sorry for Keith. Being a baby was difficult enough but being an unwell one had to suck. By the time they reached the infirmary, Coran was already waiting at the baby incubator with a scanner. Keith expressed his outrage in the usual way, kicking and flailing, as he was placed inside. It was Shiro who finally quieted him down long enough to be strapped in so Coran could perform the scan, keeping Keith distracted with a soft flickering light show emanating from his metallic hand.

“Crikey, he’s got quite a temperature!” Coran noted, examining the digital readout. “I didn’t know Earthlings ran this hot.”  


“The smaller ones tend to.” Lance admitted. “Anything else we should know?”

“Well, his lungs are clear so that’s a positive in our direction! Heart rate a mite faster than stasis though but that could also be due to his size. The scanners show some fluid buildup in his ear canal. That’s what’s causing all the hullabaloo. I can drain it and then mix up some form of antibiotic though I’ll need to do some research on what strain to manufacture for human babies.”

Keith’s tears had stopped and he was fussing to be picked up again. Shiro took him this time, patting circles on his little back. “Poor guy, we’ll have you feeling better soon.”

“Allura, will this delay Keith’s regeneration to an adult?” Lance asked nervously. 

“Hard to say. I don’t think so but we’d better get him back to stasis soon. There’s no telling what effect illness may have on the regrowth process.”

Exhausted by all the attention and stressed adults around him, Keith had passed out on Shiro’s shoulder, one flushed cheek resting against his neck. Lance moved to take Keith back but Shiro waved him away.

“Lance, I’ll put him in my room to rest while you grab some breakfast. Allura, I just need a cup of coffee. It’s gonna be a long morning.”  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lance couldn’t seem to lose the sinking sensation lodged deep in his belly, even as he stirred the delicious smelling breakfast goo Hunk had whipped up. He was genuinely worried for Keith. What if his fever got worse? What if he woke up and didn’t find him there? What if his little head exploded? What if they got attacked by Galra ships before Coran finished making the--?  
Pidge poked him in the shoulder, reading the troubled expression on his face. With stunning clarity, she assuaged his fears.

“Number one, babies run fevers all the time. Number two, Shiro is with him. Number three, a child’s head cannot in theory or in practice explode from high temperature. And number four, we are well out of Galra range at the moment so wipe the fret off your face and eat something before your lovingly prepared goo gets cold.” 

Pidge was certainly observant and, to Lance’s surprise, knowledgeable about babies even though she herself was a youngest sibling. It was very possible her brother had plied her with tales from her own infancy which made her more detached as an individual when it came to babies in crisis. It was highly unlikely she had ever attempted to change the diaper of a feverish infant.

Shiro was feeling the burn now. 

Keith’s restless nap had lasted only long enough for the crew to finish breakfast. Shiro had not summoned them but a series of high pitched screams sent both Lance and Pidge running to his quarters to investigate.

It had taken all three of them just to change Keith’s diaper. Shiro to keep Keith distracted while he kicked and screamed, Lance to actually perform the deed and finally Pidge to take up the final task of calming the now clean but traumatized Keith while two fully grown men panted to regain their own composure. Hunk even checked in with a bottle of warm milk as a peace offering but Keith was in no state to appreciate it. He was overheated, in pain, tired and taking it out on the world around him.

“He sure is warm.” Pidge commented worriedly, jouncing Keith gently in a lame attempt to soothe him. “He’s like a grouchy mini hot water bottle.”

“How is Coran doing on that medicine?” Lance wondered out loud. Keith would be a lot more docile once he was feeling better. The ache in his ear must be killing him and the poor guy didn’t even have a command of language yet to vent out his discomfort. 

“Clearly, we’re not gonna get by on distractions and nursery rhymes.” Pidge hissed in pain as Keith started tugging impatiently on her hair. Lance took him back which appeased him only a little.

“He hates those anyway.” Lance said, ducking to avoid a waving fist. “The kid has no sense of humor.”

“The adult didn’t have much of one either.”

“Well, he could use some drugs about now, he’s burning up.” Lance palmed Keith’s forehead and tried to shush his howling.

“Everybody out.” Shiro commanded. “Pidge, Hunk, you two go and lend a hand with Coran on the anti-biotic culture. I’m sure Hunk has some suggestions on a way to make the stuff more palatable. I’m gonna head over and assist Allura. With Coran busy working on Keith’s medicine and the rest of us playing nursemaid, she’s all by herself running the castle. Lance, dim the lights and readjust the temperature settings. All this attention has Keith too worked up. Do your best to keep him quiet, cool and calm. We’ll check up on you throughout the day.”

Lance balked. “You guys are abandoning me with him? For the entire day???”

“Good luck, pal.” Hunk clamped a solemn hand on Lance’s shoulder before making a hasty exit.

“You can do it, Lance!” Pidge gave him the thumbs up before departing herself, clearly relieved to be out of the situation. Lance threw one last pleading look at Shiro but the captain gave him a firm but trusting nod.

“I know you can handle this. Keith is counting on you.” He turned on his heel and fled the scene.

Lance closed his eyes and waited for Keith’s head to explode.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
At first Lance tried mindlessly pacing up and down the small room while Keith’s little lungs yelled to full capacity. For such a quiet guy, he sure could howl! His screams were only making Lance flustered and upset, hardly the pillar of strength he needed to be. These things just ran their course, right? But a baby couldn't know that! Keith was so sick, his chubby face growing more flushed and hot as the minutes ticked by. Lance was half afraid he’d have a seizure if he got too much warmer. He had dimmed the lights and the temperature control of the room had regulated to a pleasant coolness, not frigid but dry and soothing. Lance tried depositing Keith into his crib, knowing how exhausted he must be feeling. But Keith only screamed louder, refusing to be separated from Lance’s immediate contact. With his too hot little body pressed up against him for so long, Lance was starting to feel sweaty and uncomfortable himself. Lance was well versed with the high-pitched, panicky cries. Keith wasn't just feverish and tired, he was scared.

"Awww, you're pretty sick, huh?" Lance murmured down to him, swaying his hips back and forth to try and calm the small boy down. He briefly wondered if Keith would be any better off as an adult being sick. He never announced his weakness with noisemakers and sparklers, normally passing out from exhaustion long before anyone noticed he was even showing symptoms. He hadn't had the benefit of a loving family growing up. Keith's methods for dealing with illness were clearly reliant on silence and cloaking. That's not how Lance had been raised! The second he or any of his siblings had so much as sneezed, Mama would be on them like a triage nurse! She could whip thermometers out of thin air, kept a storage of Kleenex in her bra strap and made huge pots of soup the same way other people made phone calls. Who had ever taken care of Keith? Did his multiple foster homes know him the same way? Or had he been left to his own devices?

“Ok, kiddo. Time to cool off.” He muttered decisively, making his way towards his own bed. There was something magical about grown up beds that made babies instantly calmer. Setting the infant gently down on the sheets, he carefully tugged the damp cotton T-shirt up and over Keith’s head, leaving him in only his diaper. While he was at it, he decided to remove his own T-shirt as well, grateful for the feel of cool air against his own damp overheated skin. Keith rolled and kicked uncomfortably on the mattress, still sweaty and red, but now gurgling discontentedly instead of wailing. Lance picked up one of the dampened baby wipes from the changing table and brushed Keith’s chest and chubby belly with it. 

Keith grunted at the feel of the refreshing cloth against his warm skin but did not fight it. He laid down and began to settle, a thumb lodged in his mouth. A sleepy Keith was better than a kicking one. Lance smiled down tiredly at him. "Feels good, huh?" He asked Keith, wiping his sweaty face and neck with the damp wipe. "Ba-bu-BAH!" Keith replied. Who had ever done this for him as a child? Lance could clearly remember his Mami sitting hours at his bedside when he'd caught strep throat, feeding him honey and cactus juice and wiping his feverish skin down with a washcloth. Her hand when she touched his forehead or dried his tears was always soft and sweet-smelling and she always knew where the coolest spot on his pillow was.

Feeling inspired, Lance dug around in his medicine cabinet until he found what he was looking for. It was a mercy Alteans had the same sensibilities when it came to fevers. He ripped off the adhesive gel compress from its packaging and stuck it like a band aid across Keith’s forehead, letting the coolant do its job. These magical gummy pads worked wonders for small babies and soon Keith was drifting, eyes rapidly fluttering open and closed. He grew cooler, his breathing slowed and he began to doze. 

Lance sighed, relieved to see Keith relax even a little. At home there would be children’s Tylenol, sponge baths and toys to comfort him but here in Space, they had to make do with materials available. At least Keith wasn’t alone in his suffering. Comfort was something Lance could readily provide.

Lance felt his own stressed muscles getting heavy. Climbing into bed, he arranged Keith’s burning limp body across his chest. He could feel Keith's small heart hammering hard against his own and promised himself he’d only close his eyes for a moment. Absently, he found himself humming a Spanish lullaby his mama used on him when he wouldn't go to sleep. Something about the sea being serene. A repetitive, gentle rhythm like the soft recede of waves at night. In and out. In and out....  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A gentle knocking on the door woke him.

Lance looked down, immediately aware of the warm weight over his heart. Keith was still passed out and warm, stirring only a little when Lance transferred him to the cool pillow at his side, thumb lodged firmly in his mouth. He was breathing fast, his lips wet from drool. Very quietly, Lance got up to answer the door.

It was Hunk.

“Hey bro, how’s our trooper?”

“Sleeping.” Lance answered, running a hand through his hair. “I got him cooled down a bit but he’s still running a fever.”

“Well I got good news and bad news.” Hunk whispered, passing the threshold into the darkened cool room. “The good news is I have with me the antibiotic that Coran and I cooked up this morning!”

Lance almost collapsed in relief. Finally, they could do something about Keith’s illness. 

“The bad news is that its topical, meaning it’s gotta go directly in his ears.”

“He’s not gonna like that.” Lance chewed his lip.

“Can’t be helped.” Hunk shrugged. His face brightened however as he pulled out a colorful object that resembled a lollipop. “BUT good news again? While Coran was finalizing the dosage on the penicillin prototype, I managed to whip up this ice pop!”

Lance’s eyes widened. “What IS that?”

“Some mashed up alien fruit juice and sugar. I call it The Peacemaker. Figured the little dude wasn’t gonna drink much today unless we conned him into it.”

Lance would have hugged him if Keith hadn’t suddenly woken up whimpering.

Hunk looked on sympathetically as Lance rushed to the bedside to pat Keith’s belly, murmuring softly.

“It’s okay, papi. I’m here. I’m here.” Keith waved his little arms and legs sluggishly, still groggy from his nap. Being sick had taken much of the fight out of him and Lance felt cold all over at the thought that Keith hadn’t eaten or drunk much of anything all day. If he was dehydrated, things would go downhill fast. Hunk cradled Keith’s hot limp body in his capable arms and rocked him while Lance measured out the medicine into a tiny dropper. Keith whimpered weakly, chewing on his fist, too exhausted and worn out even to cry.

Hunk sat down on a chair with Keith on his knee, tilting his head sideways so Lance had full access to his ear. With his other arm, he held an iron grip on Keith's arms and legs

“Three drops in one, and three in the other.” He told Lance bravely. “Ready when you are, Captain.”

Keith didn’t put up much of a struggle though he did shriek loudly when Lance administered the medicine. Hunk hugged him gently to keep him from shaking his head too much and jostling the medicine out of his ear canal. Lance, however, had not been brought up a big brother and surrogate parent for nothing. In the drops went to both ears despite Keith’s loud misgivings and when it was over, Hunk rewarded him with the ice lolly.

Keith all but attacked it.

Keith’s tiny face and fingers were stained bright blue from the sweet popsicle, sucking eagerly and smacking his lips. Hunk kissed the top of his head as he held the frozen treat to Keith’s mouth, wiping his face now and then with a tissue.

“Look who’s happy now?” He grinned. “Feeling better, huh?”

Lance felt his forehead. “He's definitely cooler. You’re a genius, Hunk, if I haven't said it before.”

“Nah, actually just been craving some myself.” Hunk admitted. “There’s a whole tray of them in the freezer if you want.”

“Maybe after I give this guy his bath.” Lance said, noting Keith’s juice stained cheeks. “I’m glad he likes it. I was worried he wouldn’t take any liquid today.”

“See how he feels about water after this.” Hunk wiped his sticky fingers clean on his pants. “Don’t want to hype him up on sugar.”

“Will do. Thanks, Hunk.” Lance said. “Say thank you, papi.”

Keith gurgled blue spit bubbles up at Hunk in gratitude.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After his second bath that day, Keith was like a new infant. The ear drops had worked their magic on his pain and the popsicle had brought his temperature down enough for him to regain the sparkle in his eye and the strength he had lost. Lance watched him play on the floor, propped up on one elbow as he crawled and tumbled around in his diaper. His cheeks were still flushed but his smile was back and that counted for a lot. He even had enough energy left to fight when Coran insisted on a second dose of ear drops. Lance willingly let Shiro deal with that round, having earned his childcare badge for the day. 

“You did good, Lance. I probably would have caved under the pressure.” Shiro said, picking Keith up from the floor to take him downstairs. Keith fussed in response, still clutching at his toy bead chain.

“He just needed a shoulder to cry on.” Lance shrugged. "I'm just glad he's over the worst. Maybe tonight we'll both get some sleep."

“He needed more than that.” Shiro said, holding Keith against his shoulder. “We don’t always know what to do in a crisis, even the best of us can stumble. I’m glad you stuck it out with him.” He turned to smile hopefully at Keith. “Ready for round two, buddy?”

Keith’s low growl indicated that he was not.

“Seize the day, captain.” Lance saluted as Shiro made his way bravely down to the infirmary.

**Author's Note:**

> Another spin-off the de-aging series written my MilkTeaMiku. Couldn't resist putting the boys through the wringer one more time.


End file.
